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After facing criticism over errors and leaking of exam questions ahead of the common admission test (CAT), an all-India test conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) as an entrance exam for their much-sought-after management programmes, the autonomous institutes under the Union government are now looking to outsource the exam to a global testing company.

The institutes, which have rolled out the process for inviting tenders from companies for conducting CAT, have already shortlisted four companies, two of which command strong presence in global testing market.

The companies in the race are ETS Prometric, Eduquity Ventures, Attest and Pearson VUE (Virtual University Enterprises).

While ETS Prometric is a US-based company that handles global exams, such as the graduate record examination (GRE) and test of English as a foreign language (TOEFL) for admission to universities and colleges in the US, Pearson VUE of Pearson Plc., based in the UK, is the sole testing partner worldwide for tests such as the graduate management aptitude test (GMAT) and Cisco Corp.’s certification exam.

Of the two Indian companies in the bidding process, Bangalore-based Eduquity Ventures currently conducts Bitsat for the Birla Institute of Technology, Pilani, and Attest is a testing division of Aptech Ltd, a company that deals in computer training and courseware.

The four companies have been selected after a March pre-qualification notice. About 30 companies had placed initial bids.

Hoping to make CAT an online test by 2009, IIMs are currently working on the tender document for the process.

“Central to the tender are the issues and concerns raised about such a large exam as CAT, conducted across vast geography, where managing logistics becomes very difficult. Manual testing is open to vagaries of nature and human errors,” said one IIM official requesting anonymity.

The move, largely aimed at introducing a system of computer-based testing (CBT) in India, is being seen as IIMs’ pioneering effort towards creating a market for testing services in the country and also introducing an error-free mechanism for their entrance test, which, in the last few years, has been marred with complaints of leaks and errors in question papers—marking an exception in the otherwise impeccable record of IIMs in managing their tests.

In 2003, for example, the question paper for CAT leaked ahead of the exam, a first in the 28-year-old history of the test.

That led to a retest in February 2004. IIMs then attributed the leak to logistical problems. Then the CAT 2006 had printing errors in the questions.

The institutes accepted the errors and formed a committee that ruled that the wrong questions will be ignored. The idea of a retest was set aside by the authorities.

However, with the advent of CBT, human errors and sporadic complaints of impersonation at test sites are likely to decline, with a security system keeping human intervention to a minimum.

The CBT system would also set in motion the process for introduction of an “on demand” testing model for CAT, which has often been suggested as a replacement for “single day, single test” format that are used in all such tests in the country.

Tests such as GRE and GMAT are done on a CBT system that records an audit trail with details of people accessing the system to effectively plug loopholes that might lead to leaks, or errors.

Such a system also creates an item bank that delivers an impromptu and unique set of questions to those taking the test.

About 200,000 applicants take CAT, considered one of the toughest business school entrance exams in the world, each year for entry into IIMs and 120, or so managements schools, such as the SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai; Management DevelopmentInstitute (MDI), Gurgaon; Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad (MICA), Ahmedabad and National Institute of Industrial Engineering (Nitie), Mumbai, that consider CAT scores for admission.

The number of test-takers jumped from 90,000 to 230,000 aspirants over the last four years, a far cry from just a decade ago when the number of CAT applicants was around 35,000 annually.

With the number of applicants increasing by 20,000 every year, the directors of the six IIMs took a collective decision in 2006 to fix a minimum academic eligibility for the test in order to limit the number of applicants. The decision was also aimed at cutting the load on faculty members of IIMs, who were seen to be spending a considerable time on conducting the tests and completing the admission process.

So far, the exams have been collectively conducted and directly managed by the institutes.

SNAP Test for Symbiosis Postgraduate ProgrammesStep 1. Register for SNAP Test at www.snaptest.org. This will generate your SNAP ID. For different modes of payment different ‘Payment Advice’ formats are created. Choose a payment mode and print a ‘Payment Advice’ form online.

Step 2.Fee of appearing in the entrance examination conducted by Symbiosis Test Secretariat is Rs. 1000/-. Please note that this fees is non refundable and no claims for refund will be entertained on any account whatsoever.

Payment of SNAP fee can be made in either of the following mode. • Cash * You may pay cash only at an Axis Bank branch. Print ‘Axis Bank Challan’ which is in 3 parts. Pay Rs. 1000/- in cash at any Axis Bank branch in your city. Refer to the list of branches on the website. The bank will return two stamped parts of the ‘Axis Bank Challan’ to you. The ‘Student copy’ is your receipt. * Candidates should send the cash deposit challan [Symbiosis Copy]

Please note that SNAP will not be held responsible for non-delivery or any delay on the part of courier / postal services. • Demand Draft * Get a demand draft for Rs. 1000/- from any Nationalized Bank in favour of “Symbiosis Test Secretariat” payable at Pune. * Candidates desiring to pay the fees by Demand Draft should send the demand draft and payment advice form before 2nd December 2008 to

Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies [SIMS] does not offer online sale of prospectus.

* All Institutes of SIU will make the best efforts to send prospectus at the earliest possible time. * In the case of candidates do not receive the prospectus by January 20, 2009 candidates are advised to contact respective institute for which prospectus are purchased along with proof of payment. * Institute will not be held responsible for non delivery or any delay on the part of courier / postal services. * Symbiosis Test Secretariat will not be held responsible for any non delivery or any delay on the part of courier / postal services * All Institutes will make best efforts to send prospectus at the earliest possible time. Candidates are advised to contact respective institutes for which prospectus are purchased. In case they do not receive prospectus by January 20 2009, the institutes will not be held responsible for non-delivery or any delay on the part of courier / postal services. Also symbiosis test secretariat will not be held responsible for any non-delivery or any delay on the part of courier / postal services.

Step 3.

Admit Card will be available online from 7th December till 21st December 2008 online. It should be printed from the website. Ensure the following.

* Print the Admit Card online * Paste your own photograph on the printed Admit Card. * Bring the Admit card with the pasted photograph to the Test Center in addition to a photo-identity card. An acceptable photo identity is any one of o Passport o Driving license o College / Institute identity card, o Credit card with photograph. o PAN Card * At the time of the written test, it is mandatory to produce the photo identity as described here. Symbiosis Authorized Person will verify and authenticate your Admit Card against the photo-id. * Please preserve this authenticated Admit Card for further selection processes of individual Institutes

Important

At the time of filling online application form or while appearing for SNAP test, any attempt to impersonate or indulge in any other malpractice would automatically disqualify the candidate from admission processes of all post-Graduate Institutes of Symbiosis International University and make the student liable to legal prosecution as per the laws of country.

Symbiosis National Aptitude (SNAP) Test is a common written test for the admission processes of postgraduate institutes of Symbiosis International University [SIU] established under section 3 of the UGC Act 1956 vide notification No.F.9.12/2001 U.3 of the Govt. of India. Subsequently ten more Institutes of Symbiosis have been brought under the ambit of Symbiosis International University vide notification No.F.9.12/2006-U.3 (A).

It is a mandatory written test for admission into any postgraduate programme offered by these institutes. However, it is only the first step. In addition, a candidate has to undergo the selection process of the desired institute to qualify for the admission to the postgraduate programmes of that institute.